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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2017)
4 B SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2017 NED HICKSON/SIUSLAW NEWS Mapleton freshman Trinity Peterson moves in to block the Lady Cruisers during Thursday night’s home game. Mapleton from 1B However, coming back from the break, the Lady Sailors’ defense put the pressure on Powers, holding the Lady Little from 1B athletes to wrestle. Successful sports programs are generally those with a con- tinuity of coaching. For 38 years, Siuslaw High School has had only two wrestling coach- es: Pat Zahner from 1979 until Neil Wartnik took over a little more than 20 years ago. There is no state champi- onship team painted on the wall Cruisers to just 3 points in the third quarter — off of a freethrow and a bucket all in the last minute of the period. Meanwhile, Michael and jun- ior Heather McMaster-Wills each scored, bringing Mapleton within 19 points to start the fourth quarter. Given the Lady Sailors’ six-person roster, foul trouble is always a concern. Thursday night underscored that concern when Michael and Stevens fouled out at the end of the third period, followed by the departure of McMaster-Wills to start the fourth quarter. That left freshman Trinity Peterson, soph- omore Daleena Bender and jun- ior Alyssa West on the court for 7 of the game’s final 8 minutes. With 4:44 remaining, West drained a short jumper to score the team’s first basket of the quarter, followed by a freethrow and fastbreak from Peterson for 3 points in the final seconds. Despite the effort, it was well short of overcoming the team’s first-half deficit as the Lady Cruisers won it, 42-12. Mapleton will be back on the hardwood on Friday, Dec. 29, beginning at 3 p.m., at home against Yoncalla. but there have been several individual state champions. Knowing Coach Wartnik, state titles are goals he hopes occur. But equally as important are his goals of assisting his young men to have integrity, industriousness and good char- acter. During the down time between basketball and spring sports in 1967, I took the time to wrestle freestyle. A friend needed a wrestling opponent to practice with and I wrestled for two weeks. I entered two tournaments. The first was divided by experi- ence. I had one week of experi- ence, so I wrestled in the novice division. I was ahead in my first match with only seconds left in the match. As my coach yelled to stay away, my aggressive and com- petitive instinct was to go on the offensive. My takedown attempt suddenly turned what I knew would be certain victory into the agony of defeat. I went on to wrestle in four matches in my career. And in each case, my strength and endurance lost out to superior skill. Though I was only pinned once, it was by the 6A state champion from David Douglas High School, who made quick work of me with a pin just 1 minute into the match. To put it plainly, wrestling is a tough sport. I attended Pacific University, which was the Northwest Conference champi- ons for more than 10 consecu- tive years. Coach Clocks’ teams won these with mostly freshmen and sophomore wrestlers. Many wrestlers stopped wrestling after two years. They also proudly displayed their Northwest champion patches on their letter jackets. Our Siuslaw wrestlers deserve your support. Coach Wartnik and his assistants work year round to put a competitive team on the mat. Their recent tournament results are the product of their hard work. Mark your calendars for the Nick Lutz Invitational tourna- ment set for Jan. 13. The Vikings will be at their very best in memory of this for- mer state champion. Have a good time, this holiday season. But, if you know you’re going to drink, choose a designated driver, take a cab, or arrange to stay over. Getting on the road after even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time, opening the door to a holiday disaster. Have a Happy and Safe Celebration! This message brought to you by these sponsors: Florence Pharmacy • Siuslaw School District • Western Lane Ambulance Florence Police Department • Siuslaw Valley Fire & Rescue • River Cities Taxi Oregon Coast Military Museum • Northwest Land Surveyor Cross Road Assembly of God • Ron’s Paint & Supply
